historicafandomcom-20200222-history
Storming of the Bastille
The 'Storming of the Bastille '''was a epoch-making event in history that occurred when the revolutionaries of France captured the infamous Bastille prison and gunpowder and impaled the heads of the captured guards on pikes. Background In the aftermath of the Seven Years' War, France was left bankrupt and had lost all of its prestiege as a European superpower. They had lost all of their lands in North America and had suffered immense money loss, and the population continued to boom without any consideration for food supplies. France's king Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette continued to enjoy a lavish lifestyle while the people suffered from famine. The rest of Europe had used potatoes as a food source that could not be burnt or wiped out, as they had grown underground, but the French people thought them to be dirty and refused to grow these crops. In 1778, three years after the start of the American Revolution against Great Britain, King Louis decided that France could have their chance to get revenge against the British. Since the Americans had recently captured a large British army at the Battle of Bemis Heights, Louis had faith in the alliance and sent them millions of francs and an army of 10,000 troops in support of their rebellion. The war bankrupted France once more, and King Louis decided to hire Jacques Necker as Treasurer to solve the financial difficulties. Necker was a people's man who was their representative, and he began to fix the economic issues slowly. However, the taxes were driven from 8 sous to 12 in a year, and the First Estate (clergy) and Second Estate (Generals and Nobility) spat on the poor as they enjoyed their wealthy lifestyles. The First Estate, comprising only one percent of the population, controlled 10% of France. The Third Estate, consisting of the blue-collar ''bourgeoisie and the rural peasants, was angered, and King Louis called the Estates-General for the first time in French history in 175 years. In April 1789 the Third Estate formed the Tennis Court Oath, where the Estates-General vowed to represent the people. Soon, the people formed the National Assembly, which was similar to the United States' Continental Congress, and they demanded a revolution against the French government. Battle On 16 July 1789 the people of Paris' Jacobin Club and other revolutionary organizations plotted a revolution. They stormed the armory of Paris and equipped themselves with muskets, but had no gunpowder. They found out that the Bastille prison was filled with gunpowder, and they gathered in front of the prison to storm it. 1,000 revolutionaries stormed the prison, losing 98 dead, while they killed one and captured both Bernard-Rene de Launay and 8 guards. They beat Launay and shot him at his own request in a coup de grace, and they acquired the gunpowder that they needed. Aftermath The revolutionaries proceeded to march on the Palace of Versailles, where they captured King Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette. They were held as virtual prisoners in Tuleries Palace, and France was made into a constitutional monarchy. Category:Battles Category:French Revolution